Victory! Abysmal Roadside Zoo Ordered to Close

Written by PETA | June 2, 2011

After years of campaigning by PETA, Zoocheck Canada, and local residents, provincial authorities in Alberta, Canada, have finally ordered a decrepit roadside menagerie called Guzoo Animal Farm to close its doors.

Numerous reports have documented that hundreds of animals—including tigers, cougars, dogs, a lynx, and a baboon—were living in feces-filled cages and cramped pens, denied adequate food, water, and shelter from the elements. “Grossly substandard and filthy,” wrote a Calgary zookeeper in one report. “A disgrace to the people of Alberta and those who care about animals,” said a retired Toronto zookeeper in another. In 2007, a report documented more than 100 violations of the already minimal provincial standards for zoos.

Animals in other decrepit roadside zoos still need your help—animals like Ben the bear and others at the Jambbas Ranch in North Carolina. Please ask officials to follow Alberta’s lead and shut down the menagerie for good.

Commenting is closed.

Awesome news!! It takes a lot of work and time but it’s worth EVERY bit of it!! I’m starting a campaign to revoke the permits of a zoo in Minocqua, Wisconsin…I’m gonna need all the support I can rally so check out my blog: http://www.4-2morrow.blogspot.com

…before celebrating the closure of this zoo and putting a happy ending to this whole story, let’s hope that these animals are not euthanized (which seems to be the case) but relocated to better facilities.

For those of you wanting answers to your questions about where will the animals go, CAAWPS has collected all this information on one page of its site: http://caawps.ca/answers Thanks PETA for bringing attention to this, but it’s really crucial that people sign OUR Alberta based petition. Here’s why: 1) People need to understand the dynamics of how Alberta works – if it “comes from outside Alberta” no decision maker believes it. 2) Our government is strongly tilted in favour of business rights and “animals as property” and takes the path of least resistance. We are in strong danger of ending up with some useless half measure where only the exotic animals are re-homed and all the “farm animals” (which include camels etc.) are not. It’s going to take a petition brought forward by Albertans to make things change. It is okay that people outside Alberta sign it, but the government has their eye on THIS petition set up by US: So, won’t everyone please sign our petition over at http://caawps.ca/takeaction/action/petition and take another 20 seconds to sign the mail-in form at http://caawps.ca/takeaction/action/keepguzooclosed and then share both on Facebook etc to keep it rolling? Thanks. This has been the hard work of a lot of people including V4A and ZooCheck and I don’t really care about the credit, I am just trying to direct people to the most useful course of action. Thanks!

We must band together and write for these animals in that horrible Jambbas Ranch, if you can call it that, in NC. That poor bear, Ben, is pacing because he’s bored. These people in NC should be ashamed of themselves. Please everybody write to the officials there and ask that they be compassionate and do what’s right by closing this place and let PETA place these animals in responsible sanctuaries, please. It’s so wrong for them to be kept like this. Thank you.

Hooray, another victory but a long awaited one. Kudos to all of those folks who worked tirelessly on this issue. I always point out to people that are that compassionate about animals to think about the safety factor of wild animals on the loose. It’s happened too many times where a wild animal will escape its enclosure. Wouldn’t it make sense not to have wild animals at all in cages/enclosures? I hope that the surviving animals of Guzoo animal farm are taken care of. People could contact the appropriate authorities who look after that area to voice their concerns.

Thank God it’s finally over! I’ve been hoping and praying for these animals for so long! I live in Alberta and that sad excuse for a “zoo” is a disgrace on the backs of Albertans. Another victory for our wonderful animal friends!

When I was little, my parents and family took me to zoos’ and I loved it because I have always loved animals but what I didn’t know was all the cruelty zoos and circuses have and when i had kids, if i do ahve kids, I’d never take them to zoos or circuses, poor animals, I don’t know why people can’t just think of what if they were the animals in the world and getting treated so bad, I wish so many people would actually open their eyes

How could ANYONE in good conscience go to a zoo like this? And probably take your children?? Its appalling. WHO DOES THIS???? I cannot stop thinking about how these animals have suffered. Thank God its closing but now where do these poor,tortured creatures go to?

Hmmmmmmm, maybe we should put those nasty, evil humans in a cage, filled with thier feces with little water and food and in the cold and see how they !@#$%^&* like it. Thank you CAAWPS and PETA for helping these innocent animals and for finding them homes.

I don’t know how anyone can justify keeping these animals that come from tropical climates in SNOW! What is wrong with people who visit these inhumane places that they cannot and will not take up the cudgels and fight for rights of these animals. Have we as a people forgotten how to be kind and caring and have empathy! Hopefully all these animals will find caring sanctuaries for the remainder of their days.

Third time i’ve posted that Peta played a minor role in this campaign and should give the proper credit to CAAWPS who have done the bulk of the work.Won’t deny Peta advertised the cause and Zoochecks report was highly important but by not namechecking CAAWPS you are now harming the continuing efforts to protect the animals,people will think it is resolved and it is not.We NEED people to go to the Caawps site and maintain a presence on this issue.I know you won’t post this but at least correct your article and send the public to the CAAWPS site.They took a lot of abuse over Guzoo much of it based on a misguided association with PETA the least you could do is give them the credit they deserve you are looking pretty bad to about 33000 potential members right now.

I live a few hours from where this was and had NO idea that it even existed….thank you PETA for your harassment…I am SO happy that the first time I am learning about this is the story of it CLOSING!! Happy to be an Albertan today 🙂

I’m surprised the camel can even survive in the snow. Good job on having it shut down. I hope these animals will now go somewhere where they will be treated with kindness and looked after well for the rest of their lives.

I would like to make it absolutely clear that this campaign was pushed into the public eye by CAAWPS.The tireless work they have done for years before Zoocheck got involved is what led to its ultimate success.For any other group be it PETA or whoever to come in at this stage and claim the victory is extremely insulting to those who have worked so hard.Whilst it is always a boost to see good news passed on and while Zoochecks contribution was invaluable,credit must go where it is due,this victory belongs to CAAWPS and the people of Alberta.

Could you at least give credit to those of us who have been working getting homes for these animals…been going out there yearly to take pictures and video and have worked to spread the word to get over 32,000 people to sign the petition..

I’m sorry but i find this post rather offensive,the success of this campaign has almost nothing to do with PETA,while Zoocheck was involved in a minor way this victory belongs to CAAWPS and the people of Alberta who have done all the hard work and taken a lot of abuse in the process.Give the credit to the people who earned it,very very disappointed in you for this PETA.

Finally. I live not far from Three Hills where this nasty roadside attraction is. I am so overjoyed that the decision has been made to shut the place down. I am hoping there is a way to adopt one of the birds or two. I have been looking to adopt, and this seems to be a perfect match. I have all the time in the world to invest in a new feathered friend who needs love and companionship.

These people who keep the aniamls in cages and don’t take care of them are a disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves. I’m so sick of hearing about abuse in this world, whether it be animals or humans and I’m also sick of hearing “it’s just an animal”. Some humans don’t deserve to be on this earth and I wish their was a way to just dispose of them the way they do “just an animal”. We need to put an end to cruelty. Our government’s need to step in more and have more strict laws. I’m so glad that we have organizations like PETA that do what they can to stop this. Now we need the people that are supposed to be taking care of our world to step in and help also.

THANK THE GOOD LORD!!! I have signed everything and was part of the fight against the GuZoo from the getgo – this is YEARS in the making. A special thanks to the Alberta SPCA for all their hard work in aiding this “zoo” to have its doors clothes. This is victorious for all – especially the poor animals. May they find a MUCH better environment to grow old in.

I belonged to the organization Voice for Animals Humane Society in Edmonton – see http://www.v4a.org/ whose amazing members worked so tirelessly on this project. Congratulations on this great victory. May it give others the hope and commitment to carry on for animals against seemingly impossible odds.

That’s great that they’re shutting it down if they weren’t treating the animals well, but what happens to the animals now? My only concern is the after affects of this. Where are they sent? To another zoo?

Help tiger cubs forced to swim + used as selfie props. Tell Dade City’s Wild Things that cubs belong with their mothers!

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.